The aftermath of floods, hurricanes and other disasters can be hardest on older rural Americans – here’s how families and neighbors can help

Rural hospitals have been closing, putting emergency care further out of reach, but that’s only one of the heightened challenges aging rural communities face after a disaster.

Lori Hunter, Professor of Sociology, Director of the Institute of Behavioral Science, University of Colorado Boulder • conversation
July 8, 2025 • ~8 min

Rural hospitals will be hit hard by Trump’s signature spending package

Drastic cuts to Medicaid and other public health provisions in the new law will mean even less money to rural hospitals, many of which are already at risk of closing.

Kevin J. Bennett, Professor of Family and Preventive Medicine, University of South Carolina • conversation
July 6, 2025 • ~11 min

Plants in hospital rooms may enhance recovery

"Hospital rooms are more than just places for treatment—they're environments that can either support or hinder healing."

Texas A&M University • futurity
July 1, 2025 • ~6 min

US health care is rife with high costs and deep inequities, and that’s no accident – a public health historian explains how the system was shaped to serve profit and politicians

Research shows that decades of policy choices shaped today’s fragmented health care system – which is precisely why reform is so difficult.

Zachary W. Schulz, Senior Lecturer of History, Auburn University • conversation
June 6, 2025 • ~11 min

Hospitals have huge environmental footprints – here’s how they can be more sustainable

Hospitals have huge environmental footprints – here’s how building design can be more sustainable.

James Scott Vandeventer, Senior Lecturer in Sustainability, Manchester Metropolitan University • conversation
April 28, 2025 • ~9 min

Pennsylvania may be short 20,000 nurses by 2026

Pennsylvania hospitals report an average 14% vacancy rate for registered nurses. In rural areas it is much higher.

Mary Ellen Smith Glasgow, Professor of Nursing, Duquesne University • conversation
April 14, 2025 • ~9 min

C. diff spreads in hospitals way more than previously thought

New research has uncovered previously undetected movement of C. diff bacteria through hospital settings.

Sophia Friesen - University of Utah • futurity
April 8, 2025 • ~7 min

Housing instability complicates end-of-life care for aging unhoused populations

Unhoused people are more likely to die in hospitals or on the streets.

Pilar Ingle, Postdoctoral Researcher in Social Work, University of Denver • conversation
April 7, 2025 • ~8 min

Medetomidine is replacing xylazine in Philly street fentanyl − creating new hurdles for health care providers and drug users

An emergency physician and nurse scientist explain what medetomidine is and how to respond if someone is overdosing on it.

Karen Alexander, Adjunct Clinical Faculty, College of Nursing, Thomas Jefferson University • conversation
March 26, 2025 • ~8 min

End-of-life planning can be hampered by misconceptions − but the process is easier than you might think

COVID-19 highlighted the need to plan for medical emergencies, but most people still avoid the issue.

Anisah Bagasra, Associate Professor of Psychology, Kennesaw State University • conversation
March 11, 2025 • ~8 min

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